Joseph zepipel



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH ZEPFEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH ZEPFEL AND JOHN B. RADLEY.

CARPET-BAG.

Specication of Letters Patent No. 17,545, dated June 9, 1857.

Y?) all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH ZEPFEL, oi the city, county, and State of New York1 have invented, made, and applied to use a new and useful Improvement in Traveling or Carpet Bags; and I do herebyy declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, making part of t-his specification, wherein- Figure 1, is a plan of the bag opened ready to receive articles. Fig. 2, is an end view of the bag as shut together, and Fig. 3. is a view of the frame and bottom of the imilar marks of reference indicate the same parts.

Bags for traveling generally known as carpet bags, (whether the same be formed of leather cloth, carpet or other material) have heretofore been made with a metallic frame around the mouth of the bag, extending three or four inches down the sides or ends, so that articles can be inserted into such carpet bags edgewise, and then be car'- ried in that position by the handles near the top of the bag. The inconvenience of put ting in and taking out articles from carpet bags (such as wearing apparel, shirts particularly) is too well known to need commenting on in this place, and for that reason valises, although heavy and climbersonie, are generally preferred for such articles of wearing apparel and other things that require to be kept out fiat and not rumpled or creased.

The nature of my invention consists in so constructing the carpet bag that it opens all the way down its ends, thereby giving facility for packing in, to the best advantage, wearing apparel or other articles, to the extent of the capacity of the bag or less, and the bag is never distended more than is required for the articles it contains, and is in itself light, strong and portable.

In the drawing a, a, are the bottom pieces of the bag united by hinges or otherwise so that they can be folded together.

b, is the frame on one side jointed at l, l, to the bottom a, and to the other half frame c, into which said frame b, sets when the two frames are brought together to be locked; d, d, are the sides of the bag formed of carpet, leather or other suitable material, attached to the bottom a and franges Z9 and c,

by stitching and covering pieces in the usual manner, and the bag is to be lined with any suitable material and may be provided with inside flaps e and f', kept to their places by surrounding wires and buttons 2, 2, in any well knownlmanner. The sides cl, (l, are to be folded near their top edge as shown so as to provide for the bag containing a larger amount of articles, and these upper corners may have a contractile or india rubber spring to draw the parts up to the frames b, c, when not otherwise distended.

g, g are the handles by which the bag is carried and moved, and h the lock or catches.

The frame c may be either covered with carpet, leather or other material o r be of polished or enameled metal.

I am well aware that frames have been used in valises and in some character of carpet bags, therefore I do not claim the same; but- I am not aware of any traveling or carpet bag, ever before having been made with a divided bottom of rigid material, the halves of which are firmly united to the respective side frames at right angles to the same, and on the line of the joint between said frames, whereby the 'frame is always at right angles to the bottom to cause said bag to stand up on the bottom when closed, and to keep the frames from falling down when the bag is open, thereby affording room for packing articles into the respective sides of the bag; and this is ac compilished by attaching the respective parts of the bottom and frame together at right angles instead of depending on the rigid sides as in a valise to accomplish the above purposes, because the bags are of flexible material instead of'being rigid.

Therefore what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is Attaching the half pieces of the divided.

bottom to the lower corners of the respective frames, at right angles or nearly so to said frames; thereby said divided bottom and frames support the flexible material of which the bag is composed, whether the same is open or shut as specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this nineteenth day of April, 1856.

J. ZEPFEL.

Witnesses:

LEMUEL W. SERRELL, THOMAS G. HAROLD. 

